Casino opening date ‘moving target,’ as BSI continues hiring

The opening date for the casino at the DFS in Garapan will be a “moving target” as Best Sunshine International, Ltd., continues to hire.

According to Mark Brown, CEO of BSI, the company has about 150 employees.

“In terms of number of employees, we’re pushing 150 employees right now locally in our building,” Brown said, adding that the firm is “outgrowing our building, and every Monday it seems there are 30 or 40 more people are coming in.”

He said more and more are now being convinced to take the training offered by BSI and get paid for it.

On the opening of the Garapan casino, Brown said the date is a “moving target.”

He said BSI has already hired a local firm to handle visa processing as well as someone to take care of purchasing requirements for the company.

He said things may not move as fast as they (BSI) would want to.

“It is not quick enough for us, obviously, but it is the ‘norm’ on the island, so we are right on track,” Brown said.

Aside from the Garapan casino, BSI is also set to hire personnel for the Grand Mariana, a hotel casino also in Garapan.

Overall, the company expects more than 2,000 employees for the hotel casino.

The Commonwealth Casino Commission is also keenly following the opening of the casino and is aware of the schedule.

Commonwealth Casino Commission chair Juan Sablan, in a public meeting said, the commission was informed that the opening of the Garapan temporary casino is set “sometime in August.”

An online report from World Casino News (http://news.worldcasinodirectory.com/head-hunter-targets-unemployed-atlantic-city-casino-workers-9129) on Friday, meanwhile, said a headhunter based in the U.S. mainland has been contacted by BSI to hire unemployed casino workers in Atlantic City.

The report quoted Renard International Hospitality Search Consultants as saying that there is even a “special sign up bonus” to any casino worker who will join BSI before July 10.

The headhunter also said an attractive remuneration awaits employees, including free travel, health insurance, one free meal during working hours, and also free accommodation.

The report said New Jersey’s gambling industry went through economic difficulties last year and gambling revenue from Atlantic City’s casinos significantly declined.

The report further said some Atlantic City casinos were forced to shutdown operations in 2014 as a declining market meant that these casinos were unable to generate sufficient revenues, leaving thousands of workers unemployed.

It is estimated that some 8,000 casino workers in Atlantic City are now unemployed, the report said.